My passion, my obsession
by Yourfart
Summary: Zoro is home again. It seems like nothing has changed at all until he met the new guy in their little "clique". That man is a passionate and very talented dancer and has become a close friend to the others but still Zoro feels like he has to be very cautious around him, he feels that this man will bring a lot of trouble...(Zosan)
1. Chapter 1

this is my first ff ever so im really sorry for every grammar error you will see hehe (i learnt writing from reading other ffs so far sooooo yeh)

any review, comment, critic will help me improve my writing and very welcome!

the characters are out of one piece by eiichiro oda and the songs are also not mine

have fun reading! and thanks already :D

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Chapter 1

Zoro placed his case at his side and let himself fall at the bench behind him. He was exhausted, his shoulders hurt from the heavy backpack he was carrying around for the entire day, but his journey still has not finished.

Looking around, he searched for orange hair that would catch everybody's attention at the first sight and found nothing.

The park was empty besides the pigeons and the stray dogs under the bridge a few meters away from his position. Could he take a quick nap before she arrived?

It's not like he won't notice if any idiot would approach his belongings to find something valuable, for that to happen his senses as a fighter were too good.

"Whatever…" he groaned and crossed his arms in front of his chest. For at least a few minutes he wanted to rest before his orange haired childhood friend would start to bug him.

"Nothing changed, right Zoro?"

He already knew she was there before the familiar voice said those words. The swordsman let out a small sigh and opened his eyes. Two years have passed since the last time they talked with each other from face to face.

The girl in front of him still has the same annoying voice he remembered; she also has that annoying grin on her face that makes him want to close his eyes again and fall back into the silence of his mind. "Just like the old times."

"You sound like a grandma." Zoro replied without much force in his voice. He still needed more rest. The 20 minutes of total darkness before her arrival weren't enough to regain enough energy to handle the small talk Nami was about to start.

"And what about you?" she put her hands on her hips and blew a few strand of her long hair out of her face "Sleeping on a bench in a park like a homeless. Five minutes later and I'm sure the dogs would have taken you in, before I could have found you."

Zoro raised an eyebrow. "Not my fault if someone gets late…" he whispered but Nami heard it anyway.

"I'm never late!" she said "I was right on time, right at the spot I texted you. It's you that got lost and fell asleep on a bench at the other side of the park, again!"

He groaned. She's right, nothing has changed; Nami still gave him the fault for everything that goes wrong. This situation reminded him of the high school, when he and the idiotic brothers borrowed her car once because of an emergency.

Zoro sat at the wheel, knowing exactly where he needed to turn to get to the house of the Portgus Brothers. It wasn't his fault that some idiot turned wrong and crashed into them in full speed.

The orange haired girl put the debt for the repair of her car on him, which he still has not fully repaid. Before he left the city, she always used that debt to blackmail him. Now he is back and totally sure that she will take that habit again. Suddenly he couldn't remember why he missed his hometown during the two years.

Nami noticed the dark circles under Zoros eyes. She could imagine how tiring such a long trip can be and decided to stop her teasing. Her friend is back. That means she will have enough opportunities to make Zoro lose his nerves, and she will enjoy every single minute of it.

"Okay. Stand up." She took the case at Zoros side and dragged it along the way out of the park, hearing rustling behind her as the swordsman lifted himself and his backpack up to follow her.

Two years were a long time. The man that she reminded as her childhood friend has changed. She noticed it immediately when he saw the man sitting on the bench with crossed arms and closed eyes. Zoro should be around 23 years now, his hair a little longer than he usually wore it two years before. His face has got some serious lines; she isn't sure if that is because of the voyage or because he matured a little in the inside. She did notice the scar he has right at his left eye, which seems like it has healed a few years ago but wasn't there the last time that she saw him.

"Zoro…"

Namis long hair flied as she turned around to face her friend. A smile curled around her lips. He was standing there with his backpack on his shoulders, looking at her with tired eyes. He was still the idiot she remembered, getting lost even in his hometown, with that ridiculous green hair that their friends would laugh about. God, she can't wait to let them all know that Zoro is back.

"Welcome home!"

Yes, he had missed them. He has missed the long nights awake while he was playing poker with Ace and Usopp, he has missed laughing with Luffy about things he normally wouldn't even smile about, he has missed drinking with Nami, he has missed their young genius Chopper that was like a little brother to him, he has missed Robin and her silent smile, Franky and his ridiculous crying moments, Brook playing music on his violin for them. He would never admit it out loud, but his heart was jumping with excitement to see every single one of them again.

"I'm home…"

* * *

Zoro sat at the back of Namis new car with heavy-lidded eyes.

Through the windows he could see the lights of the streets passing by while Nami drove him to his old apartment. When he parted for his journey, he left it in her care. She could use it for whatever she wanted it to use, he said, being totally aware that she would probably rent it to someone he doesn't know. Zoro let out a heavy sigh and pressed his forehead against the cold window. A soft comfortable bed would be perfect right now. As soon as he had his sleep he would start calling everyone to let them know he is back.

Besides Nami, that send him mails nearly every day, he had difficulties to keep in contact with the others. He was way too lazy to write monologue after monologue like the girl would do, he never tried to call someone, feeling uncomfortable not seeing their faces while talking to them. That was him, and he knew his friends in his hometown would understand that. They would wait for him.

"We're here." Namis voice brought him back from his thoughts. "Just a little more and you can crash on your bed, Zoro!"

He nodded and got out of the car. After opening the door to the apartment building he just needed to get up a few stairs and would stand in front of his own. Nami was behind him, leaving the case and the backpack for him to carry. He sighed again and reminded himself that he should not expect any other thing from his friend.

"You have the keys?"

"Yes!" Nami threw them for him to catch them in midair. A little rush of excitement went through his body as he saw the little pendant attached to them. The Jolly Roger wearing a strawhat was the symbol of their friendship.

Zoro turned to face the door in front of him. The sight was so familiar; it felt like he actually never left that place. The white door was the same as two years before.

A golden shield with his name on it was attached at eye level and at some places the white paint peeled off and showed the brown wood under it. Zoro didn't seem to have realized how long he was standing with the keys in his hands until Nami laughed behind him. "The great swordsman Zoro being nervous?"

He gave her a look that made her laugh harder. "Just open the door already, Zoro." She said with that smile on her face again.

Zoro muttered something about being too tired to handle her attitude right now and plugged the key in the keyhole. After hearing a click he swung the door open and entered his apartment. Darkness welcomed him.

His fingers needed a few seconds to find the light switch at the wall and he was home again. Everything was as he remembered; the small corridor leads to the wide living room with his favorite couch in front of the TV, where he and Luffy always played Games with his Playstation and the table for dinner with six chairs made of wood. The kitchen in the next room was small but three people would fit in it without problems.

Two other doors lead to the remaining rooms in this apartment. The one on the left was used as his little training room with his barbells and some other stuff and the one on the right site has the bed in it that he was looking forward to the most right now. Both rooms were connected by the small bathroom with blue doors.

Zoro took of his shoes and tapped into the living room. He left the backpack and the case at the side of the couch.

"Can I leave you alone, or do you need help to find your way around?" Nami said with sarcasm in her voice. Zoro snorted and got back to the apartment door, where she was leaning against the frame, playing with her long orange hair. She smiled at him, when he stopped a few meters away from her, scratching his neck. Nami knew her childhood friend to well to not notice the little blush on his cheeks. "No, I'm okay." He said with a tired voice.

"You really have not changed since the last time I saw you, scratching your neck when you're about to say something embarrassing."

"Shut up." Zoro replied, before a yawn escaped his mouth. Nami laughed again.

"Well then I'm off. It's already pretty late and I have dance lessons tomorrow in the morning." His friend turned around and was about to close the door as Zoro opened his mouth again. "Nami…"

The girl turned her head to look at Zoro. He was scratching his neck again.

"Thanks for taking me home."

Nami hid her soft warm smile behind a curtain of orange hair. "You're welcome." she said and then left the swordsman alone standing in his corridor. As soon as the door was closed, Zoros hand left his neck. That habit was really embarrassing sometimes.

Nami closed the apartment door behind her and hoped to her car. If she got home at time she could watch the newest episode of her favorite series before going to bed. It would be nice to be able to talk about the ongoing relationship between the protagonist and that new hot chick that has entered the stage a few episodes ago with her dancing instructor. He was really obsessed with that series so he should be sitting in front of his TV right now, his red blanket wrapped around him and with a glass of red wine in his hand.

The orange haired girl picked her mobile out of her bag and scrolled down for the name of the blonde. When she found it she pressed the 'send' button and changed to loudspeaker so she could concentrate on the street.

After a few rings (it took longer than normally) she heard his voice singing for her. "Nami-swan!"

Nami laughed and rolled her eyes at him, totally aware that he would just hear her laughing. "Why do I deserve your calling in the middle of the night?"

"I just wanted to let you know that I'm on my way home. Is the new episode already streaming?"

She heard a soft rustling as he changed the position of his phone. "No darling. Take your time and drive safe! It will stream in half an hour or something." Rustling again.

"I can't find a clock around right now but the phone says you have 35 minutes left."

"Perfect! I will be at home then." Nami turned left and stepped harder on the gas pedal.

"Did something happen, my love?"

Nami frowned "No. Why?"

"You're normally not outside Thursday in the middle of the night when they announced the streaming of a new episode and…" The voice on her phone changed into rustling again.

"And what?"

"You sound different somehow."

Namis eyes widened at that. Since when was she so easy to read?

After she left Zoro in his apartment, she felt the warmth of happiness and relief in her chest. That feeling made her smile the whole time; she couldn't stop herself even if she wanted to. Their friend is back. The friend they all missed so much and had them all worried. Luffy would stop with that weird look on his face every time someone mentioned Zoros name. She waited two years for that.

"Oh shit!" she said suddenly, jumping in her seat and grabbing the phone out of the attachment.

"Nami-swan, are you all right?"

"Yes yes! Sorry but I forgot something. I need to make an important call. Can we talk later?"

The voice at the other side of the phone sounded confused "Sure, my love. We will see each other tomorrow either way. You're alright, right?"

"Yes I am. Don't worry. I'll see you tomorrow!"

Before he could reply Nami already hung up. She searched for Zoros name in her contact list desperately as she got out of her car and run up the stairs to her house.

Nami totally forgot to tell him that he wasn't alone in his apartment.

At the time Zoros mobile vibrated in the pocket of his jacket the man was already deep asleep in his bed, his feet tangled into the sheets.

A few minutes after he thought he was alone again, Zoro slipped out of his clothes to get under the shower. He could finally relax while the warm water rinsed the stiffness out of his muscles. The only thing left on his mind was the softness of his bed that waited for him and would sing him into a fast and deep sleep. He didn't notice the two other tooth brushes by the sink as he searched for boxer shorts and a t-shirt to sleep. Before his head hit the pillow Zoro was already out.

* * *

"…that case yours?"

A loud voice disrupted his sleep. Zoro frowned but didn't open his eyes. The pillow was way too soft to let go of it now. The same goes with the warmth of the bed surrounding his body.

"What are you talking about?" Another voice screamed through the apartment "What case?"

"That case right here!" The other voice screamed back, followed by a loud impact that sounded as if someone has kicked something along the living room. Zoro split open one eye, he didn't know what time it was but from the sun shining through his window he could tell that it was already around midday. A deep groan escaped his mouth and he squeezed his head deeper into the soft pillow.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

Zoro groaned again. Someone was stomping along his floor, making his peaceful sleep impossible to continue. He really deserved for at least five minutes more of complete silence.

"Oi, that jacket…"

Then he realized that something was not right here. The green haired man ripped both of his eyes open as he realized that he wasn't alone in his apartment. In the blink of an eye he was ready to strike back everything that would burst through his door, his body was tense and his hand searching for a weapon or something he could use to defend himself.

The door swung open with a loud bang and two persons entered the room. Seconds later a body crushed into Zoros chest, pressing the air out of his lungs. "Zoro!"

The man looked with wide eyes at the boy that has his arms wrapped around his midsection. "Wha…"

The boy nuzzled his nose into Zoros T-shirt and started to snicker like an idiot. "You're back!" he chocked between his laughter. It took a few moments for Zoro to realize that the black haired teenager on him was Luffy. Confusion written on his face, he glanced at the other one standing by the door, recognizing the freckles and the wide grin he had in common with his brother immediately. Ace was wearing nothing but black boxer shorts, his arms crossed in front of his chest as he watched Luffy squeezing every air out of his old friend. His grin widened when his eyes met Zoros.

"Ace! Luffy!" cracked Zoro, trying to free himself from Luffys merciless hug "What the hell are you two doing here?"

"That's what we should ask you, man." Ace left the door frame he was leaning against and took a few steps towards Zoro and his brother. His grin was so wide, Zoro was amazed he could keep it on his face for so long "Since when are you back?"

"Why didn't you tell us you're coming back, Zoro?!"

Luffy sounded genuinely disappointed as his face left the shirt of the older man to look at the others eyes. His lip curled into a pout and Zoro nearly started to laugh at that familiar sight.

"I was about to do that after I woke up." He frowned at the boy that was still hugging him. Fortunately he has loosen his grip a little so that Zoro was able to breathe normally again. "But then you two hijacked my apartment."

The brothers laughed at that. "Man, we never hijacked it." Ace tried to explain "Nami gave it to us after our house burnt down."

"What?" Zoro couldn't believe what he heard just now. The two brothers were known for attracting trouble and for their bad luck but he never thought it would end like that.

"We are roommates now!" the younger brothers exclaimed cheerfully, totally ignoring Zoros stunned expression.

"How?!"

Shrugging, Ace gave his friend a look. Zoro understood that whatever has happened, the explanation would wait for a time when both of them were alone, so he nodded.

The movement fast enough to stay unnoticed by the curious eyes of the teenager on his lap.

"So…who's hungry?"

Luffy jumped off of Zoros body and ran to the kitchen. On his way he bumped against Zoros case and flew a few meters before landing face first on the floor.

Ace burst into loud laughter, while Zoro just face palmed at the younger man laying on the floor in front of him. With these two living with him, he was certain that he would never be able to get back to the silent and calm life he had before.

And he somehow felt that, that was just fine for him.

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ok so again critic everything you want! i want to read honest opinions eheh


	2. Chapter 2

ok second chapter here we go (again any reviews or critic or comment is very welcome! i wanna learn)

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Chapter 2

Nami took her mobile from her nightstand and unlocked it with a fast strike over the display.

_Next time let me know when someone lives in my apartment. – Zoro _

"Next time you better answer, when I call you, idiot."

She released her long hair that was wrapped in a white towel, rolling her eyes at the text Zoro has sent her. It was already afternoon when her mobile vibrated, she was already back from the dance lessons and has took a nice hot watered shower to free her skin from the stickiness of sweat. Zoro was still a slow minded man, just as she remembers him.

It's a pity that she wasn't able to see the face of Luffy when he saw that their friend was back from his journey but what's done is done. The knowledge that she will see the boy laughing sincere again was enough as a repayment for now.

She let out a soft sigh as she opened her cupboard to find something to wear for later, placing a black jeans and a blue strapless top on her bed. Humming the song of today's choreography she put the clothes on and looked at her reflection in the mirror. A smile spread over her face, knowing that every man would give everything for a change of words with a girl like her.

Nami was still humming the song as she left her bedroom, a few words escaping through her mouth.

"And look at the time,

Honey, I can't stay!

Look while you can,

'cause I'm on my way!"

Today's choreography sure was a lot of fun. Sometimes it surprises her how good she felt after having learnt the moves the blonde dancer taught her. He always talked about letting the soul consume the sounds and the words of the song and let the body do the work of expressing them. First it sounded like any other poetic love thing he always says, but now after so many lessons with him she really believes in those words.

"Me. I'm fabulous baby.

I got fabulous things to do!" (Fabulous, Baby! – Sister Act the musical)

As she entered the kitchen she jumped at the ring of her door bell. It was normal for Robin to be punctual, but with a look on the clock Nami was sure that this time she was way too early. Even for her standards.

She was lucky that the water she set for the tea was already boiling.

"Robin." Nami greeted cheerfully as she opened the door "You are early today."

Behind the raven haired woman at the door, she noticed another person. The girl has long wavy hair and a shy smile on her face. Her eyes had a beautiful brown and her skin seemed to be kissed by the sun, giving her a soft tan that contrasted with the blue of her hair.

"You look good, Nami" smiled Robin. She has tied her black hair back into a ponytail, giving her a younger look than she usually wears.

Robin and Nami became close friends after the raven haired woman bumped into their little clique. Her calm and smart character gave the younger one something that the other boys couldn't. Sometimes they were as close as sisters and Nami respected Robin a lot because of the experiences she gained from travelling around a lot. She was sure that Robin has seen more of the world than they could ever imagine.

"Who did you bring with you?"

The blue haired girl stepped towards Nami, raising her hand for a greeting. "My name is Vivi. I was really looking forward to meet you; Robin has told me a lot about you. Please take good care of me."

The great manners the girl was demonstrating surprised Nami. It tells her that Vivi must have been raised in a traditional way; maybe she's from a wealthy family. But even if she would be, Nami started to feel a little uncomfortable to be greeted like this. "Ah, don't worry to be so formal" she giggled and took the hand of the blue haired girl "Nice to meet you, too!"

Robin smiled softly at the embarrassment of her friend. It is not often that the self conscious Nami shows something as a blush on her face.

"Well, come in."

* * *

Ace patted Luffy on his back, as the younger one nearly choked on his cereals. He always overdid it when food is set in front of his face.

"Still eating like you're starving, huh?" Zoro smirked. "Did you really think that would ever change?"

The older of the Portgus brothers rolled his eyes at his little brother that has started to swallow food again, even if he nearly died seconds ago. It's not that he was a better example either, but at least he can control himself…sometimes.

"Oi Zoro." Luffy suddenly spoke, spitting some of the content of his mouth all over the table "You going to eat that bacon?"

"I wanted to but I'm sure you just spit on it."

Luffy laughed his mouth still full with food. "Close your mouth, damn it!" Ace crushed his face on the table, so he could save at least some of the food from being flavored with Luffys saliva.

Zoro sighed and rubbed his forehead. Yes, he should really say goodbye to a calm life. With a look on the clock he noticed that it was already pretty late to eat breakfast.

"By the way" he said "Shouldn't you be in school or something?"

Luffy stopped eating for a second to look at Zoros face. "Ace said it's okay if I stay home today."

The swordsman raised an eyebrow "Why?"

"Yesterday was a long day, man." answered the older one "I overslept so I couldn't wake up Luffy. Nami was already in dance classes. Luffy would get there pretty late, if she wouldn't drive him and I don't need a little brother pouting over some punishment he would get because of that. He's such a crybaby."

Luffy hit Ace's side with his elbow, regretting it immediately as his brother crashed his face on the table again.

"So I said it's ok if he stays here today. And then we found your case."

Zoro nodded. Sounded like something typically for them. He wondered if the brothers would be able to survive without the help of their friends. Ace sure can, with some difficulties but he doubted that Luffy would even be able to find his socks if he would live alone.

"By the way" Ace leaned over, resting his chin on his left hand "You still haven't explained yourself."

"Huh?"

"Why you are back, are you going to stay…" the freckled man started to be interrupted by his younger brother "How did you get in here?"

Zoro snorted, that sounded as if Luffy would want him to leave immediately and as if this apartment weren't his own. With the same thought in his mind Ace frowned at the boy and sighed. "Why didn't you let us know that you are coming back, man?"

Their friend in front of them raised his cup with hot chocolate to his lips. He knew he would need to answer some questions some time, but he doesn't feel like doing it, at least not in the near future. Not when he knows that they would start asking questions about the past two years. And they would, otherwise they wouldn't be able to fully understand his answers.

After a long pause and the two black haired brothers staring at him, Zoro sighed. "Circumstances…" he said, slowly and softly. Ace stayed silent at that, different from Luffy. "What circumstances?"

"Luffy…I…" in that moment, when Zoro tried to explain to the thick head that they will talk about it another day a phone rang in the distance. He was relieved when Luffy jumped out of his chair, saying that it was his and ran off into his room. Relaxing in his chair he let out a heavy sigh and sipped at his cup again until he realized that Ace was still staring at him.

"I don't want to talk about it." He said.

"It's okay, man. Nami told me why you left." The smile on Ace's face was a little sad and for Zoro sad was a better description than pitiful.

"Thank you for not telling Luffy then."

Now the smile widens "You know how he is. As long as he knows that you're alright he stops asking questions. Luffy will wait until the time comes when you want to talk."

Zoro nodded.

Luffy was always like this. The first time he showed his friends his trust and patience was a few years ago before Zoro left the city. Nami got herself and her sister into a pretty difficult situation, making her to give up all her hard worked money plus savings to safe the people she loved the most from losing everything. It made her frustrated; she thought she was left alone, that she had no one to help her. She thought that she couldn't count on someone; that the burden was too heavy for someone else to carry.

And Luffy waited. He didn't take any actions when Namis sister Nojiko appeared and asked them for help, he waited for the moment when Nami herself realized that she wasn't alone anymore. If Zoro had not already trusted Luffy with everything he has, he was sure he would since the moment that Nami broke down in front of them, crying her eyes out and Luffy promised to save her.

Luffys muffled laughter sounded through the apartment, as Zoros mind wanders back into the past. He really could have used the teenager's presence in those two years.

It would have made it a little easier, he was sure about that.

"Zoro…"

He was so lost in his thoughts that he probably has missed Ace talking to him. It was pretty useful sometimes, when someone annoying is trying to talk to him he can just tune his voice out, but this was his best friend. He should have known better than daydreaming right now.

"Sorry, what?"

Ace sneered. "Man. Don't tell me you are getting lost in your own mind over there?" His words made Zoro frown. "Shut up!"

The freckled man started to laugh at that, holding his stomach in a wild gesture. Tears are gathering in the corner of his eyes, laughing over his own pun.

Zoro let him be and sipped on his nearly empty cup. His friend calmed down after a short time and glanced into the direction Luffy disappeared when he got the call. "This seems to take a little longer." he said.

The swordsman turned his eyes on him. Ace posture was suddenly tense, a frown appeared on his forehead and the corners of his mouth have turned down a little. "Remember when I said our house burnt down?"

So it was time for serious talk now. "Yeah."

"I do not necessarily want Luffy to hear what I am going to say to you…" Ace stared down on his fingers.

"Why?" It was uncommon for Ace to keep something from his brother. He just does that if it's something he wants to protect him from. The freckled man shrugged. "This wasn't the first time this month something was set on fire in this city."

Zoro leaned forward, putting his cup down on the table.

"Altogether we had nine fires and three of them at places I used to go a lot. The gym, the bar I work in and now my house. Those were bigger than the other ones. They destroyed everything." Ace has rested his chin on his laced fingers.

"Coincidence?" Zoro said, his voice silent and careful.

"The police is assuming that someone has a grudge against me." Ace looked Zoro directly into his eyes. His eyes are showing that he wasn't kidding. Something is going on inside the head of the black haired man.

"Why are you telling me this?"

A sigh left his lips. "I live in your apartment right now, Zoro. I didn't want to, but you know how Nami is." Zoro still could not understand what Ace was trying to say with this.

"If I am really the target of the fire man, I'm putting you and not forgetting my brother into danger." The worried expression on his face made Zoro sink a little in his chair. That expression wasn't something he wanted to see ever on the face of his best friend, it was so uncommon. He stayed silent for awhile, but when he was about to open his mouth Ace interrupted him.

"If you want me to leave, I will. But please let Luffy stay here. I don't want him to worry about something like that."

"Shut up…"

Ace was stunned. His eyes got wide and his mouth hangs open a little.

"What?"

"I said shut your mouth. What made you think that I will throw you out of here after you told me that?!" Zoro raised the volume of his voice with every word, nearly screaming at the end of the sentence. Ace rose from his chair and tried to put his hands on his friend's mouth to make him silent, but Zoro resisted. "You will stay here where we can look out for you and your idiot freckles, man. Luffy would be even more worried when you would suddenly leave him alone!"

"God, Zoro!" Ace hissed with a pleading look "Shut up, man. He will hear you!"

"He needs to know, Ace" Zoro nearly bit his tongue from being so angry. "He's your brother!"

"That's why I don't want him to worry about this!" Ace sunk back into his chair, his eyes never leaving Zoro. "The fire at our house…Zoro I was so close to losing him, it was so damn close. We were just lucky. What if the next time I won't be able to get him out of there?"

Zoro knows how important Luffy is for his big brother. But it's the same the other way around. He saw it so many times, when one of them got into trouble the other was by his side immediately without asking much questions. Most of the time it was Ace who kicked Luffy out of the danger zone.

But Luffy would be always there, no matter what. Zoro saw Luffy waiting for dinner, because his brother was getting home late. When the older man entered the house and would crash on the couch, Luffy would put the blanket over him and sometimes even snuggle into Aces warm body to fall asleep at his side.

He had noticed the worried expression every time Ace got home exhausted and with an empty stomach, when he had no time eating because of work or other stuff. These moments were little and maybe even insignificant, but it shows Zoro enough to know how much the brothers care for each other.

The swordsman shook his head. "I can't stand it when you're like this."

Ace snorted "Well, man. I was being serious here."

"Same here…"

Their eyes met. Ace shoulders were still tense, the frown has soften a little but Zoro still wants to change the expression into one that he knew better.

"Usopp is coming! And he will bring Chopper with him." The door burst open as Luffy entered the room; a giant smile plastered on his face "They all want to see you, Zoro!"

It was naturally that Luffy first didn't notice the mood both of his roommates were in; it was also naturally that he would ignore it after he had noticed it because he thinks the thing he wants to say is way more important than the current topic of their conversation.

Zoros glanced back to Ace, but the freckled man was already rolling his eyes at his younger brother.

"Ace, call Franky and Brook and tell them they need to come here, we are going to have a party!" Luffy threw his arms up and started to laugh. Before Zoro could get into his brain what the younger man just said, Luffy was already running through the kitchen, opening drawer after drawer in search for chips and drinks for his planned party. "Luffy, what the fuck?!" He immediately forgot the conversation with Ace he just had and went after the younger brother.

"What party? What for?!"

"Your welcome-home-zoro-party!" Luffy answered as if it was the most ordinary thing of the world.

"What?"

The teenager just laughed at his face and continued to go through the kitchen "Oi, Zoro. We need more chips and coke! Usopp said that he wants to drink some beer and Ace drank everything we had yesterday!" He turned around, his hands at his hips and the giant smile on his face "Go, do groceries!"

Zoro just stared at the younger man in disbelief. Two years have passed. He had to admit that he had hoped the black haired teenager had at least matured a little, but really, that hope was ridiculous. He turned around, searching for the older brother that was still sitting on his chair. Ace smirked at Zoros helpless expression and raised his shoulders. Zoro felt relief running through his body as he noticed that the stiffness was gone and Ace expression was back to normal.

The swordsman was shoved out of the kitchen as Luffy gave him orders to get dressed and to hurry up. Minutes later he was standing in front of the door of his apartment, a bag in the right hand, money and key in the left one. "Hurry up or we will start without you!" Luffy exclaimed and went back into the kitchen. They could hear the sounds of Luffy's mobiles phone as he tipped at it to call someone.

Ace and Zoro looked at each other. "I'm not even sorry, man." Ace laughed at his face.

"You should be. You were the one that raised him." Zoro groaned back and stuffed the money into the pocket of his jeans. "I can't believe he sent me to do the groceries."

Ace laughed harder and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"Ace…" suddenly Zoros voice hardened, making the other man look at him with a questioning look in his eyes "I am going to your house. Maybe I can find something the police haven't"

The black haired man shrugged "Falling back into your old habits?"

Zoro snorted.

"Whatever, man. I don't think you will have success." Ace leaned against the door frame. "But who knows. Maybe the son of the brilliant detective Koshiro will have a fabulous come back and safe our city from the murderous claws of evilness." Ace grin widened until he started to giggle over his own joke again.

"Very funny." Zoro turned around and took a few steps, but stopped when he heard that Ace still has not closed the door. As he turned around he had to face Aces worried expression again. The freckled man noticed his glance and his frown deepened. "Stay safe, okay?"

The swordsman raised an eyebrow at that. His lips curled up into a smirk and he rolled his eyes at his best friend. "Yes, mommy."

* * *

i hope you liked it (the next chapter might take a little longer i have drawings to finish and study to do...yea thanks for reading3)


	3. Chapter 3

okaaay sorry this took a little longer ( i was busy with some stuff like color palette requests on tumblr and then my pc made problems and you know a lot of daily shitty things hehe)

the friend i always ask if she could read the chapter and correct anything wanted me to tell you that she feels sorry for every error she doesnt see! im really happy she corrects the things i write cause i would be lost without her! she also wanted to punch me after she read this chapter i will explain in the end why exactly! hehe

enjoy reading

* * *

Chapter 3

He drove the way to the House of the Portgus brothers enough times to be able to do it while he was sleeping, even so Zoro found no explanations how the hell it took him more than two hours to stand in front of the ruin that was once the home of his best friends.

It felt like the street names magically switched place to make him drive in circles. Maybe some magical creature was standing behind him, making fun out of him for getting lost in his own home.

As a little kid Zoro liked to imagine that the fault for his weird sense of direction was because those invisible creatures somehow hated him.

Those creatures changed the positions of streets and houses to see what kind of idiot would wander into their trap.

Now he is old enough to understand that invisible mean monsters like that couldn't exist but he still couldn't explain why he gets lost that much.

The swordsman took a few steps and opened the gate to the area and passed under the caution tape. He felt a little wave of nostalgia and sadness run over him as he saw the ruins of the once so grand mansion that Ace and his brother inherited from their grandfather. As children they played a lot in there and when they broke something, the grandfather would get angry and stomp around searching for them as they hid snickering under the bed like criminals.

Zoros face stayed neutral. Ashes whirled up at his feet as he took another step into the ruin. The fire has burnt down nearly everything.

The glass of the windows lays shattered on the ground, the frames that once where white were now blackened with soot, just the walls were still standing, giving the ruin its last stability.

He could imagine how much Luffy and Ace lost in the fire. Nearly nothing is left from the furniture inside, at the walls where once hung pictures of their family were just dark spots left. The holes of the windows are letting a few rays of sunshine in but even with that warm light, the rooms stayed gray as if every color was also taken by the fire.

The second floor is where the bedrooms of the brothers were, but Zoro wasn't sure if he could step on the stairs without taking the risk that they will break under his feet.

Taking a few deep breaths Zoro started to search the rooms for any hint he could get about the incident, but with every searched room the frown on his forehead deepened more and more. He was searching for anything that could cause a fire, maybe the rests of a cigarette near one of the burnt carpets on the floor, a mechanism to cause an electric circuit, just something that the police had overseen.

Even if the police investigators had already found and removed something he would have been able to find out where the fire started but nothing caught his attention at all.

Zoro hissed through his teeth and crossed his arms in front of his chest. It was frustrating.

When Ace told him about the fire, he wanted to start to investigate by himself, at least for the beginning.

He knows that the police sometimes work sloppy and easily give attention to something that doesn't even have any importance. He saw enough times when the investigators don't care about anything but closing the case as fast as possible. They were lazy and they had no empathy for the victims. Nami's case was the best example for that.

Just Koshiro was different. Koshiro worked hard; even after retiring for the sake of Kuina and Zoro he did everything to assist the police in difficult cases."Why am I doing this?" he said when a younger Zoro asked him and smiled.

"Well, the police is the only help the citizens can get when they are in trouble. If they would stop to do their job like they should do, the ones suffering would be the people."

"But you are the only one that wants to help them!"

"That's not right, Zoro." Koshiro had pated Zoros head, he often did that when he tries to explain something to the boy "I believe in them. As long as one person is there to lead them, they will follow and they will learn. I believe that they will understand soon."

Koshiro believed, but Zoro still had problems to do that too. That's why, whenever he had a case, he worked by himself first until he found enough evidence and information to go to the police, enough evidence to get their attention and to make them take the situation serious enough, but just only when he needed their help.

This time though, it seems that he would leave the crime scene with empty hands and for the first time since forever had to ask the police for information about the fire.

Zoro let out a heavy sigh. This won't be easy. More than two years had passed since the last time that he visited his friend at the police station.

He would love to pray to a god that they really have some useful information for him, if he existed, but Zoro was too old to believe in magical creatures so he was also too old to believe in an all mighty god.

As he left the living room…or better what was left of the living room he stuffed his hands in the pocket of his jacket. The keys for his car grazed his fingers and he remembers the party that Luffy planned and the stuff he has in the trunk. Suddenly he didn't feel like he had to hurry anymore.

Maybe he should call Ace and ask how many people are already running through his apartment, so he would be at least a little prepared. Luffy's parties were always really loud and full of people he didnt't even know and he was sure that his welcome-home-party is going to be the same. But even with those thoughts running through his head a little smirk pulled at the corner of his lips.

The last time he remembered that they had a big party was after they met Robin and Franky. Luffy loved to throw parties after he met a new friend and especially those were meant to become big as more and more people joined them bringing booze and food. Usopp would jump on a table and sing songs about adventures and heroes not hitting a single note right. Chopper and Franky would join him after a while and seconds later everyone around them would erupt in laughter and growling voices. Nami would have drinking contest with every single man that thought he would never be beaten by a mere woman.

The swordsman remembered that Robin seemed distant and in her thoughts during the people around her screamed and sung along with Usopp's and Franky's songs. Luffy approached her and Zoro was surprised not to see his giant grin on his face but a calming smile. Both of them exchanged words, Zoro couldn't hear from the distance but he could imagine what those were.

Even if the teenager does not seem like it, he understands human emotions better than the most. Therefore it was easy for him to find the right words to cheer a person up, never losing his innocent and naïve appearance. The same goes for that night;

After a few moments of Luffy talking and smiling at her, she visually relaxed. Zoro was not a genius in reading lips but he could swear that the raven haired woman said 'thank you'. He then took her wrist and pulled her along to join the dancing mob.

"Look who's back…" a voice suddenly pulled him back from his memories. Zoro spun around raising his fist prepared to block any attack that would come. But nothing came; he could just see a large shadow sitting on the stairs to the second floor. He cussed himself for his thoughtless action of not checking if the stairs were intact, seems like the last two years made him more careless than he expected.

"The infamous swordsman!" the large shadow said in a very calm and deep voice. It sounded familiar but Zoro choose to better not let his guard down.

"Who's there?"

Silence. The shadowed man rose from the stairs and took a few steps, coming closer and closer to Zoros tense form. "That's sad." the man then said „To think I would be forgotten so…" his sentence was interrupted by a loud creak of the wood under his feet and seconds later they broke under the weight of his body. Zoro stared stunned at the place where the large shadow was seconds earlier. Now he laid on a heap of rubble groaning in pain.

"My, my…that really ruined my great entrance…"

The broken window that let in a few of the last sun rays of the day illuminated the man crouching in front of Zoro. He could see the dark curls coming from under a gray hat. The man has dark skin; his eyes were hidden by round glasses that reflected the red light from outside, his lips curled up in a little pout.

"Aokiji?!" Zoro exclaimed as he recognized one of the old colleagues of Koshiro.

"Yo!" the curled haired man said, tapping some dust from his green coat. Aokiji bent down to get his glasses that fell down of his face when the stairs under him broke and let out a heavy tired sigh.

Zoro stayed silent, he was still stunned by Aokijis sudden appearance. He tried to understand why the man would be here, and why he was wearing casual clothes instead of the uniform the Investigators normally wore. As he watched Aokiji adjust his hat his eyes fell on the scar that appeared from under the coat he was wearing. It seemed like a nasty burn that already has healed a long time ago. But Zoro can't remember that he already had it before he left the city.

Aokiji noticed Zoro's glance and rubbed at the scar. His face stayed mostly emotionless, even if a little frown appeared on his forehead. "This?"

"What happened?"

The man in front of Zoro seemed to think about the answer for a little moment before he said: "Let's say that I was playing a little too careless."

The swordsman understood that Aokiji wouldn't talk about that topic anymore and that it was useless to ask more questions about it.

Silence once again came over the two men. While Zoro was totally still, Aokiji shuffled his feet under the glare of the younger man in front of him. He scratched his head and adjusted his hat once more before he heaved a sigh. He never was the guy that could stay totally still for a very long time. His hands always searched for something to do, a bad habit that made the man seem nervous in situations where he wanted to be cool.

Aokiji scratched at his scar before he decided to finally break the silence. "So…"

"Why are you here?"

The older man looked at Zoro with wide eyes. The swordsman interrupted him a second after he began his sentence. For a moment he felt like breaking out into laughter, it felt ridiculous that the young green haired man standing a few meters away from him dared to cut his words. He was used to subordinates listening to every command he gave them; even if those times were over two years ago.

So the greenhorn from those days, still hasn't learned that he should have a bit more of respect towards older people. Koshiro failed to teach him that it seems.

Aokiji put the round glasses on his nose again and smiled.

"I am the one that should ask that, boy." He crossed his arms in front of his chest and threw a glare at Zoro through his glasses. "You suddenly disappear for two years and come back right at the time where a devil is burning our lovely city, sniffing around at a crime scene."

Zoros body tensed again. The tone in that Aokiji talked is cold and calculating, a tone Zoro wasn't used to hear from the old colleague of his old man.

"It's the house of the Portgus Brothers. They are really close to you if I remember, right."

The older man turned around and glanced over the dark rooms that laid under a thick layer of ash. "They really lost everything in that fire."

"You know how it happened?" Zoro asked. Aokiji stayed turned with his back towards him and lifted his hand to his chin. "Hm…The police did a really good work ascertaining every evidence that they could find. I guess Smoker knows a lot more about this incident than I do."

That hasn't answered Zoros question at all but he stayed silent, waiting for Aokiji to continue.

"I'm sure Ace already told you that he was the target?"

"He said that they still are not sure if that's true." Zoro answered raising an eyebrow at the question.

Aokiji slowly turned around. A smirk pulled at the corner of his lips.

"Then it seems that they still haven't figured it out."

Zoro took a quick step forward and his hands balled into fists. Aokiji knew something. It could be that the police didn't tell Ace the full story of the fire but Zoro would be surprised if that is the matter. Ace's life was in danger and if they really concealed important information that would explain why the older of the brothers was the target, they would automatically endanger his life even more.

A weird feeling raised in his gut as he saw Aokiji smirk at him but the laugh never reaching his eyes. "What are you trying to say?"

"You should go to Smoker. Make him show you the evidence." Aokiji started to walk towards the young man but did not stopped as he passed right beside him "Start to use your brain, swordsman-boy."

And with those words he left Zoro alone in the darkening room. The last sun rays just disappeared behind the horizon when he heard the gate snapping shut. He thought about trying to get into the second floor to see what Aokiji may had seen there, but with the state the stairs were in and the darkness it would be too dangerous too even try.

So he decided to follow the suggestion of Aokiji and pulled his cell phone out of the pocket of his jacket.

* * *

Ace was standing on the balcony and took a few deep breaths of fresh air. The muffled music and sounds of people singing, screaming and laughing inside got through the closed glass doors, making him feel a little more light-headed that he already was from the alcohol and took a little bit of reality of the situation.

A few days before he and his brother were just grasps away from a painful death in the fire. He would never admit it in front of Luffy, but being so close to lose that bouncy ball of happiness hit him really hard. Telling Zoro relieved him a little but he still felt that guilt and the danger that still surrounded them, making him wary of everything.

Since the fire, that left their home in ashes he asked Nami to take Luffy to school and to get him back so that the teenager won't be alone. The girl understood but after a few times she said that he should talk to Luffy about what had happened. She said that the teenager was also very worried about his beloved brother.

"The reason why he is behaving like nothing happened, probably is because he tries not to be a burden to you, Ace."

Those words of their friend really made him pay more attention to Luffy and he had noticed. He had noticed the tense voice whenever Ace called to inform him that he was coming home later, he had noticed the missing brightness of his little brother's eyes sometimes when he thought Ace was not looking. In some nights, when Ace couldn't find his sleep, Luffy came to his side cuddling into him without saying a word, just giving him a little bit of peace. Yes, Luffy was taking care of him with little gestures like he always did.

The glass door behind him opened and closed again and he heard footsteps, halting by his side, than a click of a lighter, an inhale and exhale. "You're alright?" a deep calm voice asked him.

Ace turned his head to look at the blond man by his side. He was wearing a black shirt that contrasted to his bright hair and his blue eyes. The cigarette between his lips makes him seem as casual as he could ever be.

The freckled man smiled at Sanji as he reached out to grab the beer bottle in the blonde's hand. "Yea, thanks man."

He took a big gulp of alcohol and tried to bury his thoughts in a corner of his mind. This was no moment of thinking about something depressive. A friend has come back after two years of absence; he should be grinning like an idiot.

"Heard about the fire…" Sanji nearly whispered those words. He was a little worried that it would be too soon to talk about it and he was proven right as Ace's shoulders tensed and his grip around the bottle tightened.

"Sorry man, but can we talk about something else?"

"Sure…" but Sanji stayed silent then. He tried to think about something else as the silence between them grown more and more uncomfortable. Maybe it really was a bad idea to approach Ace for a talk just between the two of them. But Sanji was no one that backs off so easily. "How about we talk about what had happened a few months ago?"

Ace huffed as he tried to take another swallow of his beer but then started to laugh at the blonde man. "Direct as always."

Sanji smiled around his cigarette and let the smoke come out of his nostrils. Ace's laugh always had made him warm. He loved to remember the movie nights they spent together, laughing about jokes they told each other and especially the thankful smiles Ace gave him when he cooked something delicious.

"It's already a few months ago, huh…" the freckled man said and seemed to be in his memories too.

"Yea…doesn't feel like it."

"We haven't really talked since the last time."

Sanji nodded. The last time they saw each other, they hadn't the opportunity to talk things out. It was inappropriate with Luffy and Nami listening, even if Nami knew about their relationship. Ace took another gulp of the bottle and then showed Sanji one of those bright smiles that he and Luffy had in common. "Well I wasn't the idiot that ran away."

"I did not run away!" Sanji's voice hasn't the force in it that he usually had when he started to bicker, so that Ace understood that the dancer really felt sorry for what had happened. "I just didn't know how to confront you after…"

"After that night full of loooove ~" Ace giggled, it seems that the alcohol is already taken its effect.

"Retard." Sanji hissed "I wanted to talk to you from man to man, not from man to drunken idiot."

Ace laughed "Your fault for giving me alcohol." and avoided the kick Sanji sent out for him. Both of them calmed down after a bit and leaned against the railing. Relief runs through Sanji's body. Even after everything that happened it doesn't seem like Ace is holding any grudge against him. After he finished his cigarette and threw the butt on the floor of the balcony he noticed that Ace was staring at him.

He runs a hand through his blond hair and huffed. "I'm sorry for what happened."

Ace chuckled raising his bottle to his lips. "Don't be." He took another gulp. "Seems like you weren't prepared for a serious relationship and to be honest I think I wasn't either."

Sanji looked at the freckled man and even with the wide grin on his face, he knew that he meant it like he said it.

"Doesn't mean that we can't be friends from now on." Ace continued and hold out his fist at Sanji, whom after a few seconds of surprise bumped his own fist against Ace's.

* * *

He could see the blond man smile as the fists of both connected in a friendly gesture. The balcony was perfect to observe and he wanted to see his target once more before he would start his new strategy to make that man suffer. A lot of people were inside of that house, but he can't allow any mercy as long as the one that makes his beloved one suffer disappears from this earth. But now it seems futile.

The freckled monster got already close to the blonde again, if he would disappear he couldn't be sure that his beloved one would forgive him and smile at him again. So the other was given a second chance, and he would wait until he makes a wrong move before he took another action.

* * *

Sanji looked at his watch and took a deep breath through his teeth. It was already later than he expected it to be, he never planned on staying that long on the party. "Shit. I need to go."

Nami pouted at him. Her cheeks were already a little flushed from the amount of alcohol she had in her system. The blonde melted immediately when he saw that adorable look on her beautiful face surrounded by soft glorious orange hair. "You're sure?" she asked, moving those full lips he loved so much "You still haven't met Zoro. I wanted both of you to meet!"

"They never met before?" Luffy asked with a giant piece of meat between his teeth.

"No you idiot. We met Sanji right after Zoro left the city" The older brother bumped his bottle of bear against the head of the teenager, causing him to choke on his meat.

"Sorry but I need to go through a new choreo for tomorrow." The dancer said directed to the beautiful angel sitting in front of him. "You're always so busy Sanji." Nami moaned but already felt excited to see the new choreo he was talking about, she sighed theatrically and leant back on her chair. "Well since it's something I'm paying for you are allowed to go."

Ace and Luffy snorted at that and Sanji just gave a thankful smile and rose from his seat. "Excuse me then, we'll see each other tomorrow again, my rose."

The older of the Portgus brothers raised an eyebrow at that as he remembers that Sanji treats every lady with the same admiration and love since he met him but the tone he spoke in with Nami had something much deeper than just that. It seems that he needs to wait for another opportunity to find out more about them because Sanji was already heading towards the door. "Oi Sanji!"

The blonde turned his head, an unlit cigarette hanging between his lips.

"Call whenever you feel like hanging around for a bit" Ace grinned.

Sanji answered with a shrug and a smirk then he waved a goodbye before the apartment door closed behind his back.

* * *

"So tomorrow?" a hoarse voice asked at the other end of the phone. Zoro wanted to nod but he remembered that the man couldn't see him. "Yes. I will be there around noon." He said instead.

Smoker groaned "By the way, since when are you back in the city?"

"Yesterday."

"Hmm…and the first thing you do is investigating?"

Zoro opened the door to the building and swept inside. It was dark, the light of the first floor wasn't working, the only light source was the light from the second floor. But Zoro was used to see in the darkness so it won't be a big problem to get to the stairs.

"Ace is living with me, what do you expect me to do? Sitting around…" he stopped for a second when he heard footsteps coming down the stairs but it was too dark to see more than just contours of a person. "…and waiting until the police does his work?"

"Oi!" Smoker sounded displeased by the sarcasm in Zoros voice.

"Sorry but you know what I think about the police."

The person lighted his cigarette as he stepped on the last stairs, the flame of the lighter illuminating white skin and blonde hair for a second before he fuses with the darkness again. Zoro lowered his voice a little, it doesn't seem like the person coming towards him had noticed Zoro at all.

"Two years has passed, Zoro. Some things have changed." Smoker said absent, Zoro heard rustling of paper.

"We'll see."

The blonde man nearly bumped into him, but caught himself in the last second avoiding the contact with Zoro. He said a muffled sorry and continued to head towards the door. Zoro turned around to see a last glance of blond hair before the door closed and left him again into darkness.

"I need to hang up. Some people are here to talk."

"Okay" Zoro said absent, the flash of blond hair still in his mind "See you tomorrow."

And then Smoker finished the call.

* * *

oooooh yes ok the reason my friend wanted to punch me was the oh so small moment between ace and sanji. i normally dont ship those two but i needed a sdkgjasdkfjkasdjgösdjfjsdkf spoilers so nope. you will find out why i made that

i really hope you enjoyed this chapter and i will do my best to update the next one as soon as possible (i also thought about making a tumblr post for promoting this ff but...wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww way too shy...what do you think is it worth it? hehe)

and thanks for the lovely reviews keep it up it really helps a lot!


	4. Chapter 4

im soooo sorry for taking so long to update this but i went on vacation and had to finish requests on tumblr so thanks a lot everyone for following my first ff and thanks a lot for your patience!

here we go~

* * *

chapter 4

The door to Zoro's apartment was light, he could open it without anyone noticing and close it after he slipped through the open space. The loud music is helping to let him stay unnoticed as he hung up his jacket, stuffing his keys and wallet in the pocket of his jeans. Zoro looked around and saw a lot of faces with cheeks red from the alcohol and unfocused eyes. Their bodies are moving with the rhythm the music is giving them, but it seemed uncontrolled and Zoro frowned as he saw a woman pressed against the body of a male he was sure she never met before and him reacting with groping every inch of her body.

People who can't deal with alcohol should keep their fingers away from it or they'll do things they will regret later.

Zoro hated to lose control of his body, so he never did. Yes, he loved booze and yes he loved to have drinking contests with a heavy drinker like Nami, but his tolerance for alcohol had always been very high. He'd never let it take control over his body even if he started to feel a little tipsy and lightheaded after some of their traditional drinking contest with his childhood friend.

Just once; It happened just once, when no of his friends where around and he would give everything to forget that incident. With a soft sigh he ran with a hand through his short hair.

"You're back!" a voice suddenly said a few meters in front of him. He raised his face and met the dark eyes of Ace. The freckled man took a few more steps and threw an arm around Zoro's shoulders.

"Thought you got lost on your way back." he giggled and led his friend to the table where the others were sitting. Zoro gave him the bags with the groceries without saying anything and his friend disappeared in the kitchen.

Nami grinned at him, reaching out an unopened bottle of beer that Zoro took gladly.

Franky, who rose his sunglasses with his thumb, Robin with that everlasting mysterious smile on her face and an unknown girl with blue hair were also sitting on that table, greeting the newcomer by raising their bottles and Franky exclaiming his typical "Super"-greeting as he punched Zoro against his shoulder.

The unknown blue-haired girl was introduced as Vivi Nefertari by Nami. A name, that would make every man knee in front of that girl and treat her as a princess. The Nefetari family was well known in their city as a family with great influence and a few high-class hotels in their possession. Zoro raised an eyebrow at the mentioning of the name.

He remembered to have had a case concerning the Nefetari family. The head of the family contracted him to find the source of the rumors spreading in the city about him betraying a long friend and partner for the sake of throwing him out of the business. The rumors said that the head of the Nefetari family had cut off the water and electricy connection of one of the inns in the outsides of the city called 'Yuba Oasis'. They went bankrupt and had to sell their lands to a shady man and his organization.

Long story short; with the help of Robin who was an agent for that organization he could uncover the business of the Gangster boss Crocodile and sent him into jail.

The funny part of the story was that Smoker also had a bone to pick with Crocodile, so he could count on their cooperation in that case.

Still, Zoro was impressed with the actions the head of the Nefetari family took after the case was solved. He asked the city for forgiveness, holding a speech in public and promising their support in reopening 'Yuba Oasis'. The Nefetari family gained the trust of the city's inhabitants back but not once had Zoro heard of a daughter.

He glanced to Robin and seeing her expression he knew that she was totally conscious about the thoughts going through Zoro's head. Closing her eyes, she took another sip of her glass but Zoro had already seen the corners of her lips turning up into a knowing smile.

Zoro brought his attention back to the girl sitting beside Nami. "Nice to meet you."

"Oh, no. It's my pleasure to meet you!" she exclaimed with blushing cheeks "Thank you so much for what you did for my family!" Vivi stood up and bowed in front of everyone. Zoro jumped in his seat and turned around to face Robin who was still smiling at the scene in front of her.

"She knows?" he hissed. Nami was trying to get her to sit down again. A few faces had turned around to see why the girl suddenly had bowed . It seemed like Vivi had already had a few glasses and she was staring at Nami a little unfocused before she started to grin at her and threw her arms around her neck.

"She found it out, yes. Maybe her father told her about me, since she saw me once with Crocodile." Robin is not looking at Zoro but at the girl. Franky also stood up to help Nami to get Vivi to sit on her chair again.

"She contacted me and wanted to know who the man was that saved her father. So I told her and we became friends." She smiled „She is a nice girl, don't you think?"

Zoro sat back on his chair scratching the back of his head. Franky and Nami finally got Vivi to sit again and the orange-haired girl placed her friend's glass on the opposite side of the table of where Vivi was sitting.

She must have gone through a lot during the crisis. The never-ending shitstorm in the news and papers may have even reached her ears and he could imagine how hard it must have been for her to see a lot of people losing their trust into her father. Unable to stop what was happening to her family she could just stand and stare while hoping it would end soon.

The frown reappeared on Zoro's forehead as he watched the girl talking to Nami, giggling like the tragedy never had happened.

"Zoro?"

He jumped again. "Yes?"

"You okay, bro?" Franky was staring at him over his sunglasses that were back on his nose instead of the rim of his hairline.

Zoro nodded and took a sip of his bottle. He should be able to suppress those thoughts until he was alone and had time to meditate, he knew there would be moments where he couldn't but he was trying to avoid those moments as much as he could. He hated to lose control…

* * *

Suddenly a brown ball of hair was in his face and his ears were filled with a whine of his own name. "You're ba–ck!" the brown ball continued hugging him for dear life. Robin had taken the bottle out of his hands before Chopper had thrown himself on Zoro. He thanked her silently for it, else he would have had beer all over his shirt and jeans.

"Chopper." said another voice reaching Zoro's ears "Let him breathe. He just arrived."

Chopper slid down, still hugging Zoro and wetting his shirt with snot and tears. Usopp stood at his side, his arms crossed in front of his chest that seemed to be a lot more muscular than two years ago. His hair got longer too; the black curls tamed by a thick fluffy green hair tie. Usopp seemed to have matured during Zoro's absence and he felt something like proud swelling in his chest seeing the teenager having grown that much.

The eyes of Luffy's classmate wandered towards Zoro's face and he started to grin when he saw the expression on it. "Welcome back, Zoro!"

"Yea." Zoro smiled and ruffled through Chopper's hair. The younger boy seemed to have calmed down a bit, still sobbing into Zoro's black shirt but not as hard as before.

Nami suddenly jumped up and threw her arms around Usopp. "Don't try to act so cool, Usopp." She earnt a glare from the teenager for that but did not care about it and continued while she pressed him against her body "You are so close to tears you might join Chopper and curl into Zoro's lap!"

The swordsman rolled his eyes at that but when he looked at Usopp again, the boy's eyes had already filled with tears but he wiped them away, struggling against Nami to break free from her merciless hug. "What are you saying?! I never cry! I'm the great brave Usopp, nobody had ever seen me cry in my whole life!" Finally he could get away from Nami's arms and took a few steps away from her "That's why they call me the 'dry Hero, the one that never spills a tear'!"

Usopp crossed his arms like an X then separates them again, resting one hand against his chin and the other on his hip.

"Dry?" Nami giggled "Really?"

Vivi was pressing her hand against her mouth to suppress the laughter that was nearly escaping and even Robin tries to hide her smile by raising her glass in front of her lips again.

Zoro raised an eyebrow at his friends. Yes, he was proud but that feeling lasted just for one second and now he felt dumb for even believing that one of them would ever change.

"Not really 'dry' for what I remember." Ace appeared at the table one hand with a bowl filled with chips and the other hand pressed against the face of his younger brother to get him away from it.

"Last weekend you and Luffy were crying in each other's arms because of a boat with a goat as figurehead."

Luffy was literally trying to climb over his brother to get to the food.

"It was a ship, okay? Not a boat! And that movie was the saddest thing I ever saw. It reminded me of a story I haven't told you, about a very close friend of mine.. His name was Merry..." Usopp tried to defend himself hopelessly as Ace placed the bowl on the table.

"But 'Merry' was the name of the ship in the movie!" Luffy interrupted with his mouth full of chips.

Usopp stared at him for a second before he regained his composure "Right! That movie was based on me and my friend!" Usopp wanted to continue but Luffy interrupted him again as his eyes reached Zoro with Chopper still on his lap.

"Zoro!" he yelled "Zoro is back!"

And before the detective could stop him, what was even futile to try with Chopper lying on him Luffy jumped on the table and yelled to get everyone's attention. The music was still loud enough to absorb any conversation but Luffy's voice would reach even the last corner of the room if he tried.

"GUUUUUUUUUYS!"

And everyone stopped dancing, talking and dropped everything they had been doing until then. "ZORO IS FINALLY BACK!"

"Do they even know who I am?" Zoro hissed and Franky laughed at him.

"NOW LETS PARTY 'CAUSE OUR FRIEND IS BACK HOME AGAIN!" the teenager reached for a bottle and Nami gave one to him. A big grin appeared on her face as she saw Zoro's expression.

"EVERYONE!" he raised the bottle and a few are already prepared to follow him.

"WELCOME HOME ZORO!"

The whole room erupted in cheers and screams as they followed Luffy's cheers for his friend's return. "Great" Zoro groaned as some of the visitors started to walk towards the table to greet him personally.

"Chopper, hey." Luffy patted the young boy on his head "Chopper!"

The boy with the brown curls raised his head a little and looked sleepily at Luffy. "Get off from Zoro. People want to hug him, too!" the teenager laughed. Zoro suddenly started to prefer to have Chopper lying on him than a lot of other people he doesn't even know hugging him so he felt relieved when Choppers head fell back on his chest again.

"Come on, little bro. You had a little too much to drink." Franky tried to raise him up from Zoro but Chopper snuggled into his shirt and held on. He raised an eyebrow seeing Chopper snuggling into Zoro like a baby, then snickered and shook his head. He knew when a battle was lost.

"Who the hell gave Chopper alcohol?" Ace asked with crossed arms like a scowling mother.

"I don't know, bro. He was with Luffy and Usopp all the time." Franky pointed at the two teenagers that paled instantly. Ace's eyebrow started to twitch as he saw his younger brother and his best friend trying to tiptoe away from the scene.

"Luffy…" he said. His tone was deep, silent but had the same force as he would have screamed at Luffy. Both of them stood frozen with their backs still towards the older man behind them.

"Usopp…" The hair on their necks rose as they felt the demoniac presence the older Portgus brother was spreading. They didn't even need to hear his steps to know exactly when he was standing behind them.

"Who gave you the permission to take alcohol?"

Slowly and with shaking bodies they turned around simultaneously, their eyes averted so they could escape the icy stare of the older man.

"One bottle…" Luffy started, sweat running down his face „i…it was…just standing there…"

"We…thought it's juice?" Usopp continued but his tone revealing the lie "So we gave it Chopper to try…"

Before they knew it their heads were pressed against each other with Ace's fists on the other end of them. He started to rub furiously against it, making the teenagers whine for his mercy but he wouldn't stop. People don't call him 'Fire Fist' for nothing.

Zoro stared at the trio with a grin on his face. He felt sorry for them but they clearly deserved it, even if it saved him from a wave of hugs and 'welcome-home'-cheers. The approaching guests mostly nod at him in a greeting gesture or raised a bottle for him. He thanked them silently and those who he called friends approached more and exchanged a few words and pats on the shoulder, careful to not wake up the sleeping boy in his arms. Among them were Jhonny and Yosaku, two of his generation that he met at the police academy and were now working under Smoker as they told him.

"Hey, maybe we will work together someday." Jhonny grinned and his brother nodded in anticipation.

"Yea, maybe."

"Would be nice to work with the son of the infamous detective Koshiro, don'cha think, Jhonny?!"

Zoro frowned at that, bringing back the thoughts that Zoro were trying to suppress earlier. "By the way, you went to see him, right?" Yosaku continued, oblivious of Zoro's emotions.

Zoro stayed silent, but a shadow had settled over his eyes. So the mystery of his unannounced voyage was already uncovered? That was fast.

He threw a glance towards Nami, knowing that she was hearing what they were talking about. She looked at him for a few seconds before shaking her head barely noticeable.

"We'll talk about that another day, ok?" he rose from his chair carefully of not dropping Chopper while doing so. He was light as always and doesn't even seem to have grown a lot since the last time Zoro saw the boy and he was very short for his age to begin with.

"Sure. We will see each other soon either way, working in the same business and stuff." Jhonny said. He seemed to have noticed the mood Zoro was in and stepped back, waving a goodbye as he and Yosaku left the table.

"Nami." Zoro stepped closer to the two girls. „Let's call it a night. I'll let Chopper sleep here, since Luffy and Usopp seemed to be knocked out already." He pointed at the two boys laying on the floor wincing from the treatment of the older Portgus brother.

"Sure. I'll help shooing the people out of here."

"No, come with me and help me bring the boy to bed."

Nami snorted. "You sound like a father there."

Zoro's cheeks turned bright red, he nearly let Chopper drop to the floor. "Shut the fuck up!" he hissed and went ahead towards the room where Ace and Luffy were sleeping, a giggling Nami following him after she announced the end of the party and asked the others to shoo the drunkards out of the apartment.

"There are two futons in the cupboard over there." Zoro pointed at the other side of the room and Nami followed his instructions without any comment but a visible grin on her face. "Lay those down there, the other stuff should be in the other drawer."

He laid the sleeping boy down on one of the futons and covered him with a pink fluffy blanket that he had bought once, without noticing its color. Now that he remembered his whole face turned red and hot and Nami couldn't hold her laughter in anymore. She fell on her knees and pressed both hands on her mouth to stop her from bursting out and wake Chopper.

"I told you to shut up!" he hissed.

"Sorry – but – this is – this is gold!" she said between her wheezing "For what – for what did you even bought – that?"

He groaned, rising to his feet again and stepping towards her. The red head surely was annoying sometimes but he could talk to her if it matters. He crossed his arms in front of his chest and leant against the wall, waiting for her laughter to die down as she noticed the mood.

"So?" she asked then, still sitting on the floor.

Zoro stayed silent. He didn't even look at her. Nami sighed and run a hand through her long soft hair. "That's your problem, Zoro."

She rose to her feet and rests her hand on both sides of her hips. Her eyes are staring at him like dark orbits as their normal color was swallowed by the darkness in the room, one eyebrow raised and her lips curled up in a smile.

"Open your mouth when you have something to say, or I'll walk away from here."

"You haven't told anyone, have you?"

"About the reason why you left without saying anything?"

Zoro let his head rest against the wall. "Koshiro."

Nami shook her head again, her long hair waving around her shoulders. "You said you don't want me to."

Her childhood friend stayed silent again and Nami thought the conversation was finished with that and was startled when Zoro opened his mouth again.

"Why did they know about it then?"

Nami thought about the two young men standing besides Zoro a while ago and remembered the words they said. "They are working at the same station Koshiro was working right?"

Zoro nodded.

"Well think about it, super-detective. You and I are not the only one knowing about the condition Koshiro is in."

He knew that already. He thought about it, too but he wanted to be sure. It's not that he is not trusting Nami, else he wouldn't have told her about Koshiro. He just wanted to be sure that it wasn't an accident and Nami let it slip out.

"I need your car tomorrow." He then said, changing the topic. Nami was used to that so she just went along.

"For what?"

"I'm going to the station tomorrow. Need to see Smoker."

Nami crossed her arms and closed her eyes as if she had to think hard about it. "Why are you not taking your own?"

"I don't like to drive long distances with it." It happened already that his car just stopped working halfway in the middle of nowhere. The station was in the outsides of the city, so if the car broke he could wait hours for someone to get where he was. And Nami's car had a Navigation system…not that he would need it anyway.

She knew that.

As if she could read his thoughts Nami started to giggle, then threw her keys at him. Zoro caught them in midair.

"You're lucky that tomorrow is weekend. Or else you should have got up in..." she threw a glance at her watch "three hours to get the boys to school."

He nodded "Thank you."

"Ah!" she exclaimed suddenly a bright smile appearing on her face again. "You can bring me my car to my dance lesson. I reaaaally need it after that."

He raised an eyebrow at that, not liking the tone she is saying those words in.

"Just do it, okay? Be there around 7.45pm and take Luffy with you, he knows where it is."

And with that she left the room.

* * *

...tbh im not that happy with my writing so i will probably take a little more time with overwriting it; like with more details and stuff. im gonna improve i hope so if you have any comment or critic please say it! it will help a lot

and yes i promise next chapter zoro is going to officially meet the cook! be patient with me hehe


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